CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
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This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/354,820 filed Jun. 27, 2016 which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
ABSTRACT
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A traveling toilet apparatus for male and female users to relieve themselves of waste is provided. The apparatus consists of a bucket and seat structure detachably mounted at the opening of the bucket which contains a spill prevention mechanism. The seat structure has a base with integrated funnel in the approximate center of the structure, a seat, a lid, and a drain spout. The drain spout also has a suitable cap to seal the contents in. After the user voids into the traveling toilet, the small diameter of the funnel helps prevent waste from escaping in the event the apparatus is overturned. When the toilet is either upside-down or on its side, the waste pools away from the funnel opening to prevent spills.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
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The present invention relates to a portable toilet or potty, particularly for travel and recreation activities where toilet facilities are not readily available.
2. Related Background Art
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Buckets are containers of uniform size varying from small to large with sealing lids. Buckets are ubiquitous containers used as containers for the storage and conveyance of both liquids and solids. Buckets are easily sourced containers, readily available from most mass retail, hardware, and home goods stores. Buckets can also be supplied in mass volume and large numbers of previously used buckets exist.
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Much prior art has been developed on portable toilet facilities, both for children and adults.
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Prior art has been developed to use buckets or pails as temporary waste collection. The drawback of the prior art using buckets or pails is lack of spill resistance.
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Prior art has been developed to limit spills through collecting waste via a restricted aperture over a cavity. The drawback of the prior art with spill resistance is use of proprietary cavity dimensions, thereby making replacement difficult. Further, spill resistant prior art is often either bulky, owing to excess size, or undersized for more than a single use.
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Prior art has been developed which may allow for waste collection in bags for ease and cleanliness of disposal. This prior art is generally intended for use by children while toilet training.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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The present invention combines use of a bucket for ease of cavity replacement with spill resistance in case the toilet is overturned in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. The present invention replaces the sealing lid with a sealing top comprised of funnel and aperture to be used for waste collection and retention with spill resistance. The present invention will also control odor by limiting exchange of air inside and outside of the bucket. Furthermore, the present invention contains capable drain spout and sealable cap to allow for draining the contents without removing the entire sealing top unit.
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The object of the present invention is to provide a portable toilet suitable for use in travel and recreation to enable the user to easily dispose of contents in existing plumbed waste facilities.
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Conventionally bucket toilets have been used in recreation or disaster situations due to relative ease of deployment. These designs have left the contents susceptible to spill in the event the unit is upended or overturned. While bucket toilet designs have been improved through providing lids and fixed seats, the designs have still faced a major drawback in that any disturbance of the contents risks spilling waste. Further, the prior art generally lacks airflow control and allows odors to escape when not in use.
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Boat toilets and other methods of controlling spills in travel toilets are generally cumbersome or result in undersized facilities suitable solely for short term use by a single child. Larger travel toilets are comprised of multiple pieces which are not commercially available should a puncture occur. The larger travel toilets have upper water reservoirs to aid in flushing contents into the storage cavity, increasing likelihood of tipping during travel due to weight concentrations in the top.
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Additional Features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
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FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective assembly view of an unassembled spill resistant portable carrying toilet.
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FIG. 2 is a left side view of an assembled spill resistant portable carrying toilet with contents after use.
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FIG. 3 is a left side view of an assembled spill resistant portable carrying toilet which has been overturned with the front up. The smaller aperture in the upper basin prevents spills when volume is sufficiently low.
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FIG. 4 is a bottom view of an assembled spill resistant portable carrying toilet which has been completely inverted. The depth of the funnel in the upper basin prevents spills when volume is sufficiently low.
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FIG. 5 is a right side view of an assembled spill resistant portable carrying toilet which has been overturned with the front down. The smaller aperture in the upper basin prevents spills when volume is sufficiently low.
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FIG. 6 is a bisected view of an unassembled spill resistant portable carrying toilet.
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FIG. 7 is a bisected view of an assembled spill resistant portable carrying toilet with lid raised and air valve in spout cap depressed in order to allow air to pass. FIG. 7 also shows the optional liner which can be retained by the weight of the user and friction of the nesting seat.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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An illustrative spill resistant portable carrying toilet mounted to a standard bucket 140 based on the sealing method commercially in use 105. The bucket may be of multiple sizes, such as 1, 2, or 5 gallons, though differing dimensions would require alteration specific to each size.
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The main unit 100 mounts to the bucket in order to make a spill resistant cavity suitable for multiple uses before spills become probable in the event the toilet assembly is overturned. The constricted aperture 101 contains spills if the toilet is not allowed to accumulate excess waste.
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The main unit 100 has an upper plate 102 and a funnel 107 for collecting waste. Upper plate 102 has an internal diameter 103 less than the funnel in order to offer secondary spill retention in the event waste splashes into the funnel 107. Upper plate also contains hinge mounts 104 for the lid unit 120.
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The main unit has a threaded spout 106 which allows the toilet to be emptied without disassembly. The cap with matching threads 130 also contains an air valve apparatus 133 which defaults to a closed position through a compression spring 132. The air valve 133 is actuated by a tab 122 on fully opening the lid assembly 120. When the lid 120 is closed, the air valve 133 will return to the closed position. The bell design of the air valve 133 will expand when subject to pressure from contents in the event the unit is overturned, further ensuring spills are properly contained
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The seat 110 is for both comfort and function. The seat 110 is designed to nest inside the internal diameter of the upper plate 102 securely. In the event a liner 150 is desired to allow for easier clean up, the limited clearance between the seat edge 112 and the internal diameter of the top plate 103 can retain the liner 150 while waste is deposited into the funnel 107. The raised front lip 111 on the seat 110 is present to limit likelihood that male urination will escape while in use.
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The lid unit 120 is hinged 121 to open, allowing the tab 122 to depress the actuator for the air valve in the spout cap 131 while the toilet is in use. The act of opening the lid 120, and leaning back against the lid 120, opens the air valve to ensure no air which has previously exposed to the contents of the cavity are released back through the funnel aperture 101. This arrangement prevents odors from being released directly to the user while toilet is in use.
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The lid contains a cavity formed by the upper lid 127 which is attached by a pivot hinge to the lower lid 120. This arrangement creates a cavity for storing wipes, toilet paper, or other sundries which may be needed. The upper lid is retained by a friction catch 123 which requires depressing a tab to release. The entire lid may be retained by similar means, or it may also be attached by more secure methods, such as a hasp.
Alternate Embodiments
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The invention claimed introduces spill resistance to the field of bucket based toilets.
The invention could be altered by incorporating a plug into the aperture for additional odor control and spill resistance. Odors could further be controlled by utilizing chemicals, enzymes, or venting through filter media.
Caps can be changed to plugs.
The lid could be removed or altered. Hinge length and spout cap height could be altered to create a secure back rest to lean against. A latch could be introduced to ensure the lid seated.
The exterior of the invention could be altered to introduce legs or flat portions to arrest rolling should the invention be tipped. Outriggers could be added to increase stability.
The invention could be adapted by integrating the seat with the lid/funnel.
The invention could be altered by incorporating a vent into the spout cap for airflow purposes while in use.
The seat could be raised and thereby increase internal cavity volume before spill became likely.
Dimensions and angles could be altered or any other minor changes obvious to those knowledgeable in the subject matter without changing the function.
